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H. A. BOWER.

DRUM.

APPLICATION FILED 0CT.2, i919.

Patented Dec. 30,1919.

I. @v/a?? (EZ/Zwaar HARRY A.. IOWER, OF BCSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

DRUM.

vApplication filed October 2, v19,19.

To all l0/1,0m it may 60126677175.'

Be 1t known that I, MARRY A. Bownn, a

citizen of the United States, residin at tate Boston, in the county ofSuiolk and ot ldassachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvementsin Drums, of which the following is a specification.

'Ihis invention has for its object to provide certain improvements'indrums of the general character of that set forth in Letters Patent No.1,252,878, granted to me on the Sth day of January, 1918, in which theshell is provided with a curved bead over which the head or diaphragm isstretched.

In accordance with the present invention, the bead is formed separatelyand consists of an endless tube having a continuous slot into which theedge of the shell extends.

On the accompanying drawings,-

Figure 1 represents in plan View a snare drum embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 represents a side elevation of the same.

Fig. 3 represents a plan view of the shell and bead assembled.

Fig. 11 represents a section on the line 1l1t of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 shows portions of the shell and the beads.

The improvement, which I. shall herein describe and claim, is applicablefor and may be embodied in snare and bass drums as well as for tympani,and, though I shall' describe a snare drum as embodying the same, itwill be understood that the invention is not restricted thereto.

Xs illustrated, the said snare drum has a cylindrical shell 10, whichmay be made of any suitable material, though I prefer to make it of hardfiber which is obtainable in sheets. A sheet of such ber, cut into thedesired length and breadth, is bent into cylindrical form and its endsare joined together in any suitable manner. As shown, the ends arebrought into fairly close proximity, and an insert l1 is placed betweenthem. Inside of the cylinder there is a strip 12 of fiber which laps theends of the body and the insert, and which is secured thereto by rows ofrivets 13. This strip 12 does not extend to the ends of the cylinder, soas to extend into the beads to be described. 14

The beads are illustrated at 14,

Each preferably consists of a metal tube bent into a circle, with theends welded to- Specicaton of Letters 'Pa-tent. Y "Patented De0g-30,1919.

gether, to form a continuous tubular ring. By a suitable tool 14k anarrow slot 15 is cut in what may be termed the side of the tube,Y

so that the end of the shell may be inserted into and fit therein. Ofcourse the diameter of the circular slot 15 must be approximately equalto the diameter of the end of the shell. The slots in the two beads arenaturally on opposite sides thereof, so that the beads will fit theopposite ends of the shell. The unslotted side of the bead presents anunbroken convex surface on which the skin of the head rests.

The drum heads may be like those set forth in my said Letters Patent, inwhich the skin is described as having its margin tucked around acombined skin and tension hoop of adequate diameter to encircle theshell, as indicated at 16. These hoops are drawn toward each other byhooked tension rods indicated at 17. The snare attachment, indicated asa whole at 1,8, need not be herein described, as it forms no part of thepresent invention.

/Vhen the shell and its beads are assembled, and the heads are locatedin place, the tightening of the heads, by the tension rods, crowds thebeads toward each other until the ends of the shell bear tightly againstthe interior surfaces of the beads opposite the slots, as shown in Fig.4, and the beads and the shell are clamped together. If desired, theslots in the beads may be very slightly narrower than the thickness ofthe shell, so that the opposing walls of the slots are wedged or crowdedapart when the ends of the shell are inserted in said slots, inconsequence of which the slot-walls haye a spring-clamping actionagainst the shell.

In some cases, the shell may be made of two or more layers, as, forexample, a layer of fiber and an external covering 19 of brass or othermaterial, as shown in Fig. 5, especially where it is desired that thedrum shall have a highly ornate appearance.

Having thus explained the nature of my said invention, and described away of making and using the same, although without attempting to setforth all of the forms in which it may be made or all of the modes ofits use, what I claim is 1. A drum comprising a shell and a rigidslotted ring into which the edge of said shell projects, said ringhaving a convex surface for engagement with the head.

2. A drum comprising a shell, a head, a slotted tubular ring' into theslot of which the end of the shell projects, and having a convex surfaceagainst which the head rests, and tension devices for tightening thehead and thereby securing said ring on said shell.

3. A drum comprising a cylindrical shell, beads on the ends of saidshell consisting of tubular rings having slots into Which said shellprojects, heads stretched across said 10 beads, and tension devices fortightening said heads.

In testimony whereof I have axed my signature.

HARRY A. BOWER.

